Annual JDRF Ride to take place Saturday

The 8th Annual JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes is set to take place in La Crosse this weekend.

Joe Brady, the Western Wisconsin Cycling Coach said he's been doing it for 11 years in an effort to raise funds and ultimately conquer and cure Type 1 Diabetes.

"Also to treat the disease, people who have it make things better for them from a number of different standpoints one of them is technological. New devices that make it easier to live with the disease," said Brady.

"I'm out riding because I have diabetes and let me tell you it's a real pain in the butt. And we're out here to help raise money and turn it into Type 0 as our phrase is to get rid of it.," said Ethan Macksam, a 14-year-old from Madison, participating in the ride for the first time.

Participants will depart from the levy in Riverside Park at 7 a.m., with riders rolling back into the park by 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Lynn Sturm, Chair, JDRF Advisory Committee La Crosse said the ride spans a total of 100 miles, with those participating having the option to do as much or as little as they're able to. Nonetheless, she stressed how important this event is to raise money and awareness.

"I think La Crosse is just a beautiful place for people to ride. We start the ride in Riverside Park, we go down the Minnesota side into Iowa, we do a bluff down in Lansing then we turn around and come back. So you're along the Mississippi, it's beautiful, there's a lot of great things people can do in La Crosse once they get to town," said Sturm.